


Permission

by cricket_aria



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2019-12-26 15:49:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18285413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cricket_aria/pseuds/cricket_aria
Summary: While Larsa is visiting Rabanastre for peace talks Vaan takes the opportunity to spirit Basch away for a few hours to make a visit and ask an important question.





	Permission

**Author's Note:**

  * For [neverminetohold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverminetohold/gifts).



“You know, Vaan,” Basch said as he ducked under an arch built low and wide enough that it must have been made by a seeq who gave little thought to whether members of the other races might some day pass through, “I believe you’ve made enough of a name for yourself by now that you hardly need to come down here and defend your title of Ratsbane.”

“Ohh, you’re gonna feel _bad_ about joking in just a minute,” Vaan said, flashing him an easy smile as he trotted along through the waterways beneath the city, surefooted on the slimy pathways where Basch needed to place each step carefully.

When Basch had been young enough that he might have been drawn to such a dark and hidden place he’d either been living another life in another place, or else burying his grief under duty as if keeping Princess Ashelia safe might make up in some measure for failing to save Landis. Watching Vaan not seeming to even need to worry about the risk of falling into the filthy muck flowing through the waterways made him wish, as it always did, that he’d taken a bit more time to himself when King Raminas had offered it, that he might make a better showing of himself.

Although when Vaan had convinced him to leave Larsa in Penelo and Zargabaath’s care for one day of the peace talks which had brought them back to Rabanastre he hadn’t thought they’d be traveling beneath the city or else he might have changed into shoes more suitable for the environment.

A few turns more and the tunnels began to dry out and Vaan said, “We’re almost there. Look, through there,” and gestured towards an archway more ornate than the others they’d seen so far. The style was familiar, though Basch had only seen it before in a few more easily reachable entrances to the underground. Each leading into the city’s catacombs, and all at once he had a suspicion why Vaan had seemed so intent on getting him to come with him.

Vaan’s voice went hushed as they walked in. “Sorry I had to drag you so far down here, we couldn’t afford to get a spot easier to reach. Couldn’t do a lot of the things I know he would have liked, but at least he got something. A lot of folks in Lowtown don’t get this much.” He walked through the narrow stone passages with obvious certainty about where he was going, not even glancing at the small placards beside the crevasses carved into the stone to help find his way. When he stopped at last and crouched down besides one of the lower placements sure enough the name Reks was carved beside it in neat characters. He didn’t look at Basch as he quietly said, “He liked you a lot even if you didn’t know each other long, you know that? He never said much after Nalbina before he… he was gone, but when he told us about what happened he really couldn’t believe you’d fooled him so much. That he’d thought you were a good man. I dunno, I thought now that he knows he was right about you to begin with maybe it would be good to bring you here. There was never any time when we were all traveling together. If you thought the same about him anyway.”

“He was a good lad,” Basch said, resting his hand on Vaan’s shoulder as he looked down at the small heap of bones which was all that was left of that lad. “I remember seeing him and thinking how terrible it was that we’d been reduced to pulling children into our war. If only things had gone differently I had intended to watch over him as he made his way through the ranks, ensure that he would be safe until he actually had enough experience as a knight to properly protect himself. How terribly that went wrong.”

“Man, if you thought he was just a child I hate to think what you must have thought of me when we met,” Vaan said, glancing back at Basch with a smile that seemed just the tiniest bit tight.

“I never saw you as just a child, Vaan,” Basch said, squeezing gently with the hand still on his shoulder. “No child could have looked at me with the hatred you did when we first met.”

Vaan laughed and shook his head, pushing himself up from the ground, “If that’s the reason than I’m lucky you’ve obviously never spent much time around kids. As someone who does, trust me, even a kid as mellow as Kytes can hate like crazy when someone pushes him the wrong way. They’ve got some hot emotions.”

“I will take your word on that,” Basch bowed his head in acknowledgment of Vaan’s superior insight into this one matter. “Nonetheless, I still could not have seen you as just a boy. You found me fighting your way out of a dungeon, Vaan, with obvious knowledge of what you were doing. When I met Reks I had to teach him the simplest of techniques, he was still so soft. He may have been the elder brother, and what maturity he’d gained in his years showed the most when he was discussing himself in that role, but I believe that anyone who’s known you both would be able to say that by the time we first met you’d already been forced to grow more than he’d ever had a chance to.”

“Well, good. I mean, not _good_ but... Good!” Vaan pushed himself away from the stone wall and paced the small amount he was able to in the narrow stone corridor, pushing his fingers through his hair as a twitchy sort of energy suddenly seemed to fill him. “Listen, I wanted to drag you out and talk to you for more reasons than just to shove you at my brother and tell you to pay your respects. Though I did kinda figure that if his angry ghost doesn’t possess his bones and rise up to attack you it’ll be the closest thing to his blessing I’m able to get here.”

“Ah?” Basch replied, beginning to get a sense for what Vaan might be thinking, but not wanting to make any reply that might spook him if he was wrong. Or if he were right, for that matter.

“Everybody’s so scattered now, you know? I’ve still got Penelo, and every once and awhile we can still manage to sneak into the castle when Ashe’s in the mood to stop being queeny for a few seconds, but other than that whenever we’re home it’s back to being almost like everything that happened was just in our imagination. And I keep thinking how I get why you felt like you had to do what you did, but I wish you’d come back with us instead. Fran and Balthier were always going to go off to do their own thing again, and Ashe was always going to take back her throne and Larsa take his, but as things were getting to the end back then I think there was always this little part of brain thinking that we’d, I’d, get to keep you around. You couldn’t go back to guarding Ashe, but you’d always have a place with us.” He finally stopped his skittish movement and looked Basch straight in the eye with an expression like he was trying to seem bold but not even sure himself if he was managing it. “Then the more time went by after you stayed behind with Larsa the more I realized that I really would have liked it better if I’d been right about you staying here. I _really_ would have.”

“Vaan,” Basch said quietly, feeling a pit opening in his stomach at the thought of having to dim the light in those bright eyes but aware as he’d ever been that he had a duty. It could not be set aside for a handsome face. “I cannot abandon Larsa to—”

“Of course not!” Vaan cut in, spitting out the words as if the very idea was repugnant. “We can’t just leave him alone and hope Zargabaath’s good enough to keep assholes from trying to turn him into their puppet on his own! The guy seems decent enough, but I wouldn’t trust _any_ of the old Knights with Larsa without anyone else to keep an eye on them. I don’t want you to abandon him, I want to know if it’s okay for me to visit. If it’s okay for me to…” He drew himself up suddenly, reaching out and poking Basch in the chest as if he were making a challenge, “Basch fon Rosenburg, neither of us have any family left to do this properly, so I’m gonna ask you directly; can I have permission to court you?”

Basch laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it, even seeing the suddenly horror-stricken look flash across Vaan’s face. But when Vaan tried to recoil back he reached out and grabbed his hand, holding him firmly in place. “Forgive me Vaan, forgive me, but that just seemed so incongruous with you. I would never have imagined you caring to ask such permission.”

“I don’t,” Vaan admitted, slowly and cautiously seeming to let himself relax again. “It’s just, I thought you might be the type of person that did. And if you are, I’d rather do it right.”

“And do you understand what you’re asking for, Vaan? I’m not in a position where I have the time to be a doting lover.” He used the word to make sure that Vaan would not flinch away from it, still so young that even if Basch did not see him as a boy he was still aware that he might not have fully thought through what he was asking, so it was slightly embarrassing that it was only his own cheeks he felt heating at the term. “I can offer no one romantic getaways, nights on the town, any of the things that make for a relationship. So long as his position is still so fragile and the loyalties of those near him so uncertain I can’t be far from Larsa for long enough. If I say yes I fear you’ll begin to feel like I’m treating you like a dirty little secret when you’re scarcely ever able to leave my suites, even if it’s only due to necessity.”

The smile was back on Vaan’s face at the lack of any denial, and he even managed to sound cocky as he replied, “Basch, it would be kind of hard to feel like a dirty little secret when the Emperor himself will totally know and approve of what’s going on. Because I will absolutely make sure he knows to come visit me in your bedroom when I'm around, and we’re all his best friends so there’s no way he’s going to not approve. And, I mean, I figured I’d have to avoid seeing you around other people anyway, so nothing’s screwed up when I suck at remembering to call you Gabranth. Because I don’t think I’m gonna get any better at that when you’ve become my _lover_ ,” he used the same word Basch had as if he relished the feel of it in his mouth, then reached out and touched Basch’s cheek with a hesitance at odds with his brash tone. “Besides, if we ever do want to get away for a few hours I can bring Penelo along and we can give her permission to gut anyone who looks at Larsa funny with her spear. You know he’s safe as anything under her watch, otherwise you wouldn’t even have come today.”

Finally Basch allowed himself to relax into that touch, though he kept one eye on Reks’ bones lest the ‘angry ghost’ possibility arise as he said, “Then if you are sure, Vaan, very well.” He pulled the hand he still held forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles, “I will gladly give you your permission.”


End file.
